Puss In Boots
by Kepouros
Summary: Eddie recovered from his startle just in time to watch her face morph. Those green eyes that had pegged him from across the room blinked, and the pupils went from human to vertical. "Are you a kindred spirit, good sir?" she purred, literally purred.
1. Chapter 1

The day was sunny, even so early, as Eddie Monroe chugged his laboring car into the mechanic's obscure little parking lot. He was the only car there, save for the nice German-made model the mechanic presumably drove. The car coughed as Eddie twisted the key into his palm, silencing the classical concerto on the radio that was doing nothing to calm him. Despite what the celestial bodies told him, it was not a good hour for the blutbad to be out in public.

Grinding his teeth to repress the anger boiling up in him, he wrapped his long fingers around the steering wheel and _squeezed. _That mechanic had already told Eddie one lie: that he was absolutely mobbed and that he needed the car in the shop at opening, or Eddie might have to wait for days to him to get around to it. _Lying little..._Eddie thought furiously.

And then he realized what he was doing. One, he was close to bending the steering wheel. His fingers were sprouting fur and his canines were lengthening in response to his emotions. And two, he was letting his wolf get ahold of him.

Consciously, he let go of the steering wheel, tilted back his head, and took several good, deep breaths. Because the appointment was so early, Eddie had had to eschew his morning Pilates routine. And his coffee. Thus, the inner blutbad was a little too close to the surface for comfort.

He _really _shouldn't be out in public like this. Best to get it under control before he went in to deal with the mechanic.

A tap on his window nearly made him wolf out on instinct.

"You gonna sit out here all mornin'," asked the mechanic in the hickest accent Oregon had to offer. "Or are ya gonna come in so we can talk business?"

Eddie chewed his own teeth back into his gums before he answered, "Yeah, I'm coming."

He followed the mechanic, whose chest patch declared him Bobby, into the tiny brick office that sat in front of the large, corrugated steel car bay. Bobby sidled behind the counter, seemingly not in a hurry at all, and sat down on a chair that hissed to accommodate his large, saggy, coveralled rear.

Eddie was behaving. Barely. Watching Bobby take a sip of his steaming mug, put on his readers, languidly lick his pen to life, and bring a clipboard to bear had his gums itching again. "Now then," drawled Bobby. "What can I do fer ya?"

"Over the phone," said Eddie with practiced evenness. "You said it sounded like a water pump problem."

"That I did," replied the mechanic, scribbling something. "But it could be yer spark plugs, yer transmission, or yer fluids." His eyes fixed on Eddie over his readers, obviously judging his neatly pressed and matched clothes. "You do check yer fluids, right?"

"Yes, I do," said Eddie, with a hint of indignation. What car owner, much less a guy, didn't?

"I see," said Bobby, making a note. After a checking a few boxes on the paper, writing another note or two, and checking a manual the size of a phone book, he looked at the steadily fuming Eddie. "This'll take all day," he declared.

Eddie very nearly lost it. "All day!" he barked. Snapping his jaws shut around the growl that rose in his throat, he swallowed his rage and said, albeit with great care, "Are you serious?"

"All day," repeated the mechanic. "Six hours at the least, until tomorrow at the most."

Eddie breathed surreptitiously through his nose and out his mouth. "Fine," he said, in a way that clearly meant it wasn't. He turned to go before he ripped the mechanic a new one (verbally OR physically).

"Hey, young fella," said Bobby. "I need ya to sign here."

Eddie did growl this time, but only a quiet, little one for his own purposes, and stalked back to the counter to scrawl his signature on the dotted line. "Thanks," he said, begrudging the word.

"Yer welcome."

Outside of the office, Eddie gulped some fresh air and sighed. His entire day, out the window. He had a 20th century heirloom pocketwatch to fix and have in the mail today, or he'd have to explain to the owner of the treasure why he was late with the repair.

Eddie sighed again and rolled his shoulders. He saw another all-nighter in his future.

Suddenly, the wolf surged to the front of his mind, whiffing a scent. Eddie's eyes turned red, and his nose twitched appreciatively as he inhaled. _Coffee_, thought he and the wolf in unison. Stuffing the animal back down, Eddie located the source of the delectable smell: a place across the four-lane street, nestled between two chain fastfood joints, called The Daily Grind.

Without hesitation, Eddie began to walk. Crossing the four-lane wasn't terribly hard, but the parking lot of one of the fastfood joints was a madhouse. A grannie with a disposable cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other nearly bowled him over. "Oregonians and their biscuits," muttered Eddie, placating her with a gesture.

Outside of The Daily Grind, Eddie's ears pricked. There was a lot of people in the coffee shop. Looking through the glass door, he saw every available table filled.

Forget that. He had time to kill, and he needed his morning mud.

As he dinged through the door, he garnered glares from all those nearest. It took Eddie a moment to discern why. In the rear of the spacious shop, a makeshift stage had been erected. On it was a quartet of people with instruments. The crowd within the shop hushed, expectant.

The girl in the long skirt and one foot on a chair propped a flat, circular bodhran, or Celtic drum, on her knee, and flipped a piece of wood lobbed on both ends between her fingers. At a nod from the violinist, a tall man dressed in black, she began to beat out a rhythm with a twisting motion, using both ends of the wood. _Dum, dumdumdum, dum, dumdumdum..._

The violinist brought down his bow, and filled the air of the shop with notes as sweet as the scent of hazelnut creamer. The guitarist, whom Eddie noticed was seated in a wheelchair, joined the violinist and added spine to the melody with his clever fingers.

A flourish of a tambourine brought Eddie's attention to the final player, a willowy woman standing in front of a mic on a stand. Despite himself, Eddie found his gaze transfixed by the pink of her lips, perfect against her complexion, as they sang the opening lines to a song.

_"And she danced through the wood, like a gypsy girl should,_

_And she laughed in the face of the fire..._

As if on cue, the lights above the stage caught her deep copper hair, and Eddie scented the presence of more than one spike of desire within the shop. The singer's hips caught the bodhran's full measure beat, and she continued:

_"Under black velvet skies, with the moon in her eyes,_

_Head held high, tambourine held high'r."_

Eddie caught himself thinking how appropriately the song fitted the singer who brought it to life, and mentally gave himself a mighty shake. He could feel his inner wolf, which was the source of this ridiculous lapse in focus, shake out its thick scruff as though fending off a bothersome insect. With a quiet snort, Eddie wound his way around the tables of captivated humans and bellied up to the cold marble bar.

"One mocha, double shot of espresso, whole milk, please," he told the barrista, jolting the young man out of his daze.

"Sure thing, man."

Eddie paid and stepped to the end of the bar to await his indulgence, and noted how markedly soothed he was just from a few minutes of listening. He could see the day looking up: he was surrounded by good smells, he was about to suck down a massive amount of caffeine, and the music was his cup of tea.

But, strangely, his eye was drawn again to the singer. She was still swaying, tambourine keeping time and ending each measure with a shiver, her voice rising bird-like and lovely from the elegant throat exposed by her occasionally tipped head.

_Good prey, _whispered the wolf in his mind. _Strong, fast, give good chase. _

_Stop it, _Eddie growled at it, squaring off in his skull with his base nature.

_Listen to her, _continued his blutbad blood, practically sing-songing with glee. _She would make beautiful sounds if you bit her..._

_STOP IT! _shouted Eddie in his mind, rubbing his temples with a scowl.

"Mocha up," said the young barrista, startling the blutbad back into his right mind.

"Thanks," he managed to say around his deeper voice, scooping the steaming paper cup off the counter.

The singer was resting during the musical bridge between what Eddie's trained ears could tell was the final verse. He sipped his beverage, reveling in the stability it gave him, and gave in to watching her. She was standing still, not subtracting from the musicians' spotlight moments, but her eyes roamed the room.

They landed on him. They stayed on him.

Eddie's heart jumped in his chest, but the blutbad in him knew a challenge when it saw one. He didn't break her gaze, not even when she started into the final verse.

_"I can see her in you, kindred spirits are few,_

_If you find one, you hold on for good._

_And if you lose your way, if your path goes astray,_

_She will lead you back to the wood."_

The crowd erupted into applause as the instruments ended with an embellished sweep. Eddie sank to a handy barstool and studied his coffee to hide his emotions. He now knew the meaning of the word 'floored'. It was like this stranger of a woman was reaching across the densely packed coffee shop with her words to spear him in the heart. It was a rarity he came across anyone with whom he could identify, Grimm or not. Well, there was Nick, but that friendship was as wobbly as a newborn foal.

And as for the final line, his wolf unhelpfully supplied, _Would like to get lost in the woods with her_.

"Ugh," Eddie grimaced, brushing the animal off.

"Ugh, what?" asked a melodic voice from beside him.

Eddie jumped and nearly sloshed his entire coffee. The woman singer had appeared beside him, and was staring up at him with curious, slightly hooded green eyes. Her pink lips were curled in a kind smile.

Eddie recovered from his startle just in time to watch her face morph. Those green eyes that had pegged him from across the room blinked, and the pupils went from human to vertical.

"Are you a kindred spirit, good sir?" she purred, literally purred. Her cheekbones sharpened, and her nose tugged down like a cat's. "Well?" she queried again. Whiskers sprouted from the spatter of freckles on each cheek.

Eddie was once again reduced to gaping.

* * *

><p><strong>Welcome to my story! I hope everyone who reads this budding tale enjoys it. I LOVE Grimm, and Nick can go jump off a bridge: I'm a Eddie Monroe girl all the way. WOLF POWAH!<strong>

**Eddie deserves a life mate, and in this story, he gets one. How the two reconcile their - erm, inherent differences - is sure to lend to a rousing romance, fascinating fantasy, super supernatural, and a kick of a comedy. Tell me if I set the tone well (or not) in this first chapter. REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Whoa," was the first surprised word out of Eddie's mouth. Instinctively, he wanted to back up, to put up his hands (claws), bare his teeth, put some distance and feral warning between this cat woman and himself.

But he didn't. His wolf, in a rare show of superiority, held him fast to his barstool. In a split second after his exclamation of shock, he relinquished all but a fraction of his control, and let the blutbad envelope him. Fur sprouted, skin furrowed with a fierce expression, eye teeth lengthened, eyes turned deadly red.

The woman ended her instantaneous transformation at the same time he did, obviously going slower to prevent their respective animals from going all Discovery Channel. Her green gata eyes sparked with intelligence, somehow retaining their fringe of thick lashes. Her dense copper hair patterned itself with lighter shades like a tabby, and her fingernails lengthened to sharp, thin, scratching claws.

"I thought I smelled blutbad," she said, not in a threatening way. Eddie's wolf, so accustomed to dissecting nuances in the growls and whines of its kin, found her tone to be teasing. He growled, testing her.

She surprised him by dissolving into laughter. The cat faded from her features, leaving her skin pale and flawless and her grin wide. "Easy, wolfie," she said. "Peace, and all that jazz. I just wanna talk to a fellow freak."

With some reluctance, Eddie stuffed down the wolf and replied, "I'm not a freak."

She cocked her head and gave him a perfunctory once-over. "True." Deliberately, she stuck out her hand. "I'm Celina Victorie, a _bottechat_."

Eddie glanced at the proffered hand to assure himself there were no claws, and slid his hand into her grasp. "Eddie Monroe."

Celina beamed that cursedly disarming smile. "Pleased to meetcha, Eddie."

"What can I get you, Celina?" asked the barrista, nervous and with eyes only for the pretty singer. "The usual?"

"Yes, Joe, and thank you," Celina said graciously.

Joe turned on his heel, missing the barbed look Eddie directed at him. Wait, why was he even barbing his look? It wasn't like Eddie cared if someone stole the woman's attention.

"So," Eddie said, the epitome of nonchalance despite their earlier posturing. "Do you come here often?"

"Yeah, I do," she replied. "Well, me and the band." She nodded in the general direction of the instrument players, who were rousing the crowd with a stomping Celtic number.

"I like that sound," Eddie said, containing his tapping foot and his music-lover gush.

"I'm glad. The violinist is my brother, Henry." She pointed to the tallest of the group, whose eyes were closed and whose fingers danced on the strings. "And that's Tracy, my best friend, on the bodhran." The skinny skirt wearer had disengaged from the chair and was standing beside Henry, bobbing with her beat. "And Renee is the guitar hero."

The three players ended with raucous applause and a few whistles. Henry looked at Celina and frowned, noticing her proximity to Eddie. Celina made a 'go on' gesture, and Henry's frown deepened. Still, he pressed down on his strings and orchestrated the players into a whimsical, drawn, and lonely song.

Eddie listened to the sound of the music, and let it bring to mind its unique picture. "It sounds like a long road, with home at the end of it."

Celina looked at him with surprise. "I get that too. 'For I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep...'"

"And miles to go before I sleep," Eddie finished with her. "You like Robert Frost?"

She grinned in a self-deprecating way. "My shelves are bowing under the weight of his collective works as we speak."

Eddie chuckled. "Where'd you go to school?"

"University of Oregon."

"And your major?"

"Minor in biology, major in folklore."

Eddie's brow furrowed. "Odd choices."

Celina shrugged. "Gotta get answers for my condition somehow."

"Your mom and dad weren't bottechats, too?"

Her face fell a bit. "They put me up for adoption when I was a baby."

"Ah," said Eddie, suddenly feeling awkward. He swirled his coffee. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," she said. He felt like he'd given the appropriate answer.

"So that makes Henry your adopted brother?"

"Yeah, but we're super close."

"What does that mean, anyway? Bottechat."

"Well," she said, perking slightly. "I've got French ancestry, like all bottechats. You know the story Puss in Boots?"

Eddie nodded.

"In French, it translates to Le Chat Botte, hence, bottechat. The same way your species name comes from the big bad wolf featured in a lot of fairytales and legends."

"The French background explains your surname, too. Victorie."

"No, no, you have to add the proper amount of phlegm. Vicch-TWAH-ee."

"Vicch-TWAH-ee," repeated Eddie, laughing despite himself. She giggled with him, blushing, and for a moment electricity sparked between them.

"Your chai latte, soy milk and two stevias," said Joe, ruining the intimate vibe.

"Thanks, Joe," said Celina in a slightly dazed way, breaking their introspective stare. She ducked her head to smell the frothy beverage, full of cinnamon and clove and cardamom to Eddie's sensitive nose, and sipped it. "Aaah, just the way I like it. You're a magician."

"T-thanks, Celina," said the awkward man.

Eddie's pointed gaze sent him scurrying. The barrista probably didn't deserve the predatory look, but Eddie was more wolf than man at the moment. The inner animal was practically speaking for him, spurring on the conversation, sending out the subtle 'I'm interested' signals and interpreting the responses.

Apparently, the wolf saw the way Celina flipped her hair to expose her neck as an affirmative. That, and her near-constant eye contact. And the man in him found her a stimulating conversationalist, easy on the eyes (more stunning than he could ever hope to attract on his own), and a fellow freak to boot. For once, wolf and man concurred: _pursue._

Henry and the band seemed to recognize a lost cause when they saw one, and went straight from one song into the next without signaling Celina. "Tell me, Eddie, are blutbads born or made?" Celina asked suddenly.

"Erm, born," he said, caught off guard. "My family are all blutbads, too."

"And you've got German ancestry, if the legends hold water."

"Bingo," he said, impressed.

"Is it an insult to use the word 'pack'?"

"Nah. But to coin the cliche, I'm more of a lone wolf."

"Estranged or passed on?"

"A mix. Either way, we don't talk."

She made a sympathetic face. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Eddie preferred not to dwell on his family (or their habits, which was the reason for the estrangement). "So, do you work in the field you went to school for?"

Celina laughed in an embarrassed way. "No, actually." She sipped her drink, seemingly garnering her wits. "My trade is a bit more tactile in nature."

"What is it?"

The boldness returned to her eyes, which fluttered alluringly. "Can't give away all my secrets at once, now can I?"

It was Eddie's turn to smirk invitingly. "I suppose not."

She ticked an eyebrow at him. "I saw that."

"What?"

"The wolf just leaked out in you, just a bit." She tapped his arm, testing him. They were both dipping into their base natures, now. "You're a regular ladykiller, huh?"

"Pfft," replied the blutbad, shaking his head to drown out the wolf's howl of _BITE HER OR BEND HER OVER. _To the wolf, he replied with a _BACK TO YOUR CORNER! _To Celina, he continued, "Most ladies aren't as well read. Or as interesting."

The bottechat flushed the cutest pink he'd ever seen, and sipped her chai. "Most guys aren't as fascinating. Or in the same mythological boat as me, if you catch my drift."

_Time to step it up a notch, _Eddie told himself, galvanizing his resolve. "Celina, how would you like to meet for lunch somewhere?"

Her head snapped up excitedly, but she spoke casually. "That sounds like fun."

"How about tomorrow?" Eddie said, scarcely daring to hope.

"Okay. There's a kebab place down the street that looked promising. One o'clock?"

"I'll be there."

Eddie drained the last of his mocha, watching the band. After a moment of silence, he commented, "That was refreshingly simple."

She, too, drank and responded with an air of mild relief. "Tell me about it. But when something works..."

Eddie smiled, glancing at her. "When something works."


	3. Chapter 3

Wolves, and by extension blutbads, were creatures naturally geared towards grooming. Unfortunately for Eddie, that grooming was almost strictly between pack members. Eddie could remember splashing around in the tub with his younger relatives, and his mother brushing his wild curls as a child.

Such memories were pleasantly painful, or painfully pleasant, like cutting adult teeth. Today, the day of Eddie's first date with Celina, they did not bode dwelling on. He didn't have a pack, not anymore.

Eddie stood in his slightly outdated bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror, and tried to make sense of his frustrating, uncooperative hair. He'd tried it slicked back, but he'd looked too Godfather, so that warranted a trip to the shower to wash out the product. So he was stuck with his norm: a head full of curls genetically designed to make him want to rip them from his scalp.

Was this date, his first since going un-wild many years before, doomed to failure because he couldn't resist committing a fashion faux-pas?

What if she turned up even more stunning than before, and was embarrassed to be seen in public with him? What if she stood _that distance _apart from him, those few inches of difference shouting to the world that she didn't want to be there, with him.

Eddie sighed and rubbed his eyes, forcibly calming himself. It was just a date, not the Presidential caucus. Even if his hair was as useless as a screen door on a submarine, he had plenty of other things going for him. Those things were obviously enough to get her to notice him in a crowded room. Now, if only he knew what those _things _were.

After a heated argument with his beard, he moved on to wardrobe. He'd been wearing a t-shirt and windbreaker when they'd met in the coffee shop. That told him unequivocally that she did not judge by looks. Plus, she was herself a variation of the artsy-fartsy type. A carefree dresser. An untethered spirit. _A gypsy, _he thought to himself, with a faint smile. _Just like her song. _

He settled on a blue-orange-yellow-white plaid over a white t-shirt and jeans. Pleased, he smiled at his reflection and immediately felt foolish.

He quickly brushed his teeth to shake off the sudden bout of nerves.

And threw on a dash of cologne just to be safe.

* * *

><p>The four band members shared a house in a quasi-suburban area on the sketchy side of the tracks. The boys had claimed the master suite and its attached nursery-sized room off the bathroom, because it was easier for Renee's wheelchair to maneuver. That had left the two bedrooms across the hall with the shared full bath to the girls. The quartet had no problem sharing space, as they had done so in college and were all good friends. With their mutual love for music and the band's fame slowly starting to pick up in the area, it was both frugal and prudent for them to live together, not to mention convenient for practice and composing.<p>

Celina had all but disappeared in her closet, having wedged herself into the way back to get at her more special outfits.

"You shouldn't overthink it," advised Tracy from Celina's bed.

"I have to overthink it!" replied a distressed Celina with a muffle. "The first date sets the tone!" A wadded-up skirt sailed through the air to punctuate her statement.

"You said he was like you," pointed out Tracy. "Animals don't wear clothes, much less care what they look like."

Celina poked her head out, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "Technically, we're totally different species. Literally a cat and a dog. Feline and canine. And we're not _just _animals, thanks."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Tracy let a smirk grow on her face. "But seriously, what would your kids look like...?"

"Ew!" cried Celina, ducking back into the black hole that was her closet. "I don't wanna think about that! It's way too early." Her scrabbling faded to a halt. She poked her head back out. "Seriously, what do you think our kids would look like?" she asked reluctantly in a low voice.

Tracy leaned back on her hands, swinging her feet, thoughtfully studying the ceiling. "Your hair and cheekbones, his eyes and skin."

Celina considered. "Actually, that wouldn't be a bad mix." She twisted a wayward shirt sleeve in her grasp. "But would they be bottechats or blutbads?"

"You're the folklorist, you tell me." Celina's best friend reached to the floor and picked up the wrinkled skirt. "I like this one."

"Can you fluff it in the dryer for me? I still have to fix my hair."

"Of course, m'lady," replied Tracy with a sweeping curtsy. "Your wish is my command."

"You are way too Renaissance for your own good."

"Methinks she doth protest too much!" came the reply from the hallway.

"Shakespeare will win you no points!" shouted Celina back with a laugh. Extricating herself from the closet, she pulled on her good bra and the blouse she'd already picked out. She'd left the straightener preheating in the bathroom she and Tracy shared, and set about utilizing it on her deep copper locks. After an artful part to one side, she applied tinted lipbalm and a light blush.

Her eyes scrutinized her reflection critically. Her eyes had always been her best feature, but did she dare...?

"Yes," said Tracy, scaring Celina witless. "It's a mascara occasion."

"Jeezums! Could you scuffle your feet or cough of something?" begged Celina, clutching her chest.

"Learned from the best, kitty paws. Here's your skirt."

"Speaking of paws," rumbled Henry from the door to Celina's room. "Where are you going?"

Celina turned the corner long enough to beam at her brother. "I've got a date!"

"With the guy from Common Grounds?" asked Henry, crossing his arms. If he weren't her brother, he would look intimidating in his black t-shirt and black jeans, arm muscles bulging. Celina considered it an equal split between bummer and useful to have a brother who was a black belt in two styles.

"Yep," replied the bottechat. "We really hit it off."

"I see," said Henry sarcastically. "You sure he's on the up-and-up?"

"Hey, if a cat can sense a storm coming," reasoned Celina, running the brush laden with pigment delicately through her lashes. "They can certainly judge character."

"Daaa-ang girl!" hooted Renee, wheeling to the door behind Henry. "Lookin' fine!"

"I will end you," said Henry without venom.

"You wouldn't beat up on the disabled kid, now wouldja?" kidded the group's comedian. "Who's the lucky woman?" he asked Celina. "Does she have a sister?"

"Hilarious," snarked Celina from the bathroom, slipping into her skirt. "Questioning my sexuality just because I'm a cat is so old, Optimus Prime."

"Actually," replied Renee. "I question it 'cause you ain't had any, and I mean _any_ action since we left school."

"Even before then," interjected Tracy helpfully. "You were always in the books."

"I thought you were on my side," muttered Celina, making a few minor adjustments.

"I am. We all are. All of us, even Tall Dark and Stoic over there couldn't be happier that you've got a date with a nice guy."

"_Seemingly_ nice guy," corrected Henry. "Far too early to tell."

"Lighten up, big brother," said Celina, coming out of the bathroom. "We're in a public place."

Henry pegged her with his Sanctioned Protector look and chewed his lip. "Just be careful, okay?"

Celina stood on tiptoe to peck him on the cheek. "I promise I will."

As she walked past them down the hall, Renee wolf-whistled. He was promptly smacked on the back of the head by Henry.

That made Celina laugh all the way to her car.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

**For those wondering, Celina was adopted at a very young age into Henry's family. That makes him her non-biological brother, so he does not share the bottechat gene with her. As we can infer from our beloved Grimm episodes, most of these creatures are born, not made. Poor Celina is all alone...  
><strong>

**Hope that helps!**

* * *

><p>Eddie drove to the restaurant in his newly fixed and much quieter car. For all the irritation that Bobby had caused, the mechanic knew his stuff. He had even waxed the gracefully aged VW, which made the blutbad feel guilty for grinding his teeth at him. After all, if the mechanic had not been so irksome, Eddie would not be here...<p>

About to walk into a kebab place...

to have lunch with a cat-woman...

Grinning stupidly as he imagined Celina dressed as Cat Woman, Eddie parallel parked across the street from the restaurant, silenced the engine, and cocked the rearview mirror to look himself sternly in the eye. "You can do this," said the serious blue eyes reflecting back. "You're handsome as hell, and you smell great, and she obviously isn't scared off by beards..."

The blutbad trailed off when a couple walked by the car, casting furtive glances his way.

With a steely nod, Eddie popped out of the car, the door creaking as antiques are wont to do. With a stride like he was going to war, he began to cross the street.

Against the light, as it turned out.

In a blur of horns honking and tires shrieking, Eddie made it across the street. _What did I ever do to cars?_ he bemoaned internally. After panting with his hands on his knees for a minute (going from Beatles-on-Abbey-Street to dead sprint was a hair taxing), he straightened, self-consciously wondering who had witnessed his ordeal.

On the other side of the decorative wrought iron fence, literally right in front of him, Celina was sheepishly staring at him from her seat at a table for two.

"I was wondering when you were going to notice me," she said, biting her lip.

Eddie, through his wolf side, was a master at reading body language. Humans were a bit more subtle than raised hackles or tucked tails, but still, he knew she was close to laughter: all he had to do was nudge her over the edge. The blutbad leaned over the fence partially so that only Celina could hear his quiet tone. "How many wolves does it take to cross the street?"

Celina bit her lip again, dimples in distress but eyes flirtatious. "I don't know."

Eddie grinned. "One to cross, and one to call 911."

That did it. Celina's carefully contained laugh burst loose and threatened to leave her breathless. A few people looked up from their meals at the disturbance of the two of them, but Celina and Eddie did not care. They had eyes only for each other, a magnetic, affectionate attention.

They hadn't even sat down yet.

After her peals had subsided, she beamed at him, and they took a moment to quietly appraise each other. "You look nice," she said. She leaned closer, slightly over the fence, nose twitching and pupils lengthening like a cat's. "And you smell _really _nice," she purred approvingly.

"Thanks," replied Eddie. Her minor shift from woman to cat in her eyes and voice made him clear his throat to rid it of the sudden deepness. "You look..." Wow. Her hair was straight this time, and every strand shone like faceted rubies. She had on an amazing top that did _things _to her chest, giving hints but no promises. It made her eyes look like jade fires, but that might have been the lingering cat. He didn't care which nature she exhibited: she was still beautiful.

He couldn't believe he'd just thought that of a girl he'd only met twice. That engrossed him for a moment, sent him for a minor loop. He had to reel himself back in. _She can be a supermodel, _he chided himself. _And still be a rotten person. You've been burned before: best leave the verdict out for now._

Eddie realized he'd left her hanging just as she giggled, "Your face says plenty." Motioning to the seat opposite of her, she said in a parody of formality, "Join me, Eddie?"

"Gladly, Celina," replied the blutbad, swinging over the low fence with Mexican sage and sitting down across from her. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"No, no, I got here early," she assured. She was secretly pleased that he couldn't wait to sit across from her, forgoing walking through the restaurant in his eagerness. "No fault of yours."

"Did you drive?"

"Yeah. Mine's the little VW Beetle." She pointed to a mint green number in the corner of the lot. "She's my baby."

"I drive a VW, too." It had to be a sign. Really, what were the odds?

"Aren't they the sweetest rides?" she gushed. "Gotta love German engineering."

Eddie chuckled, gesturing to his car across the street. "Mine's a little less sweet, a little more antique."

The bottechat looked where he directed. "Nonsense. She's a stunner!"

"Yeah," Eddie said, crooking a meaningful smile. "She is."

Celina blushed spectacularly and hid behind her menu. "Do you know what you want yet?"

"Yeah, actually," replied the blutbad, pleased that his compliment hit home. "What the guy three tables over got."

Celina peered out from behind the menu, sniffing the air and wrinkling her nose. "Hmm. I like what the lady behind me has."

Eddie glanced over Celina's shoulder at the woman in question, whose entree was a mushroom and vegetable kebab on couscous with a cucumber salad. "That looks...nice," he said evenly.

She snickered. "Convincing," she ribbed sarcastically.

"I try," he replied, equally sarcastic.

They swirled in their own private galaxy as they laughed. "You're a snarky one, aren'tcha?" she teased, noticing how light his face looked when he laughed. It made her heart light, in turn.

"Come for the snark, stay for the conversation," he responded with a smile. "I have that on a t-shirt, somewhere."

The conversation paused when the waiter came by to take their orders. Moments later, bottechat and blutbad were sucking down iced water.

"No one else I know drinks water with meals," griped Celina mildly around her straw.

Eddie frowned, thinking. "Come to think of it, no one else I know does, either." Yeah, all of the three people he saw regularly, with Nick Burkhardt the Grimm being the only one Eddie drank _anything_ with. And that was mostly beer or coffee, depending on the hour.

For the moment of silence in which they sated their thirsts, Eddie reflected on how socially deprived he was. Living the quiet, veggie-wolf life was lonely, if he thought about it, despite being rife with silver linings like peace, easy living, and being able to work from home.

Still, he opined mentally that he didn't have enough contact with people, by his and probably the American Psychology Association's yardstick. It weighed on him in various ways, none of which were readily visible, but took their toll nonetheless.

Was he damaged? His eyes flickered to his date. Did she notice any awkwardness about him? If she did, warned the eternal cynic inside him, it would probably be the cause of their parting.

_Even if Celina and I don't...work out long term, _he thought, by way of consolation and galvanization. _It will mean more social...stuff. Getting out of the house...  
><em>

Her next question neatly chucked that train of thought out the window.

"Have you figured out what I do for a living yet?" Celina asked.

But dang, he was a sucker for a coy and teasing woman. "You haven't given me any hints," Eddie replied.

She tapped her pink (again, _Wow_) lips with her finger, eyeing him thoughtfully. "I will give you one, for now." With that she stood up, turned once on her booted heels, and sat back down.

Eddie's brow furrowed. "That's all I get?"

She gave him a coquettish shrug and quirked her eyebrow.

"What is this, Rumpelstiltskin?" he asked in mock outrage. Whilst she giggled at his tone, he continued, "Seriously? A catwalk turn? That's _all _you got for me?"

"Think of it this way," Celina said, swirling her sweating glass. "If I keep you intrigued, at least I know you'll be thinking of me."

Eddie made a _pfft! _noise. "Like that was ever a problem."

She blushed bright red again.

Eddie pressed his advantage. "Did you know," he asked conspiratorially. "That blutbads are attracted to the color red?"

Ever the hungry one for knowledge, Celina's face expressed interest. "No." She touched her hair suddenly, eyes wide. "Is that why you...?"

"No, no, no," he assured, pulling her hand away and reluctant to let it go. "Not the only reason, trust me."

"Phew," Celina said with exaggerated relief. Their hands stayed joined, and Celina's blush deepened at the attention. In the same conspiratorial tone, she asked, "Did you know that bottechats, at least this bottechat, are attracted by smell?"

He shook his head. "I did not."

She nodded. "Think catnip, or lavender. You use a mint shampoo, don't you? I smelled it on you yesterday, even over the coffee." She voice dropped a little, fingers tightening in his grip. "And that cologne you have on now, that's got sandalwood in it. Serious kitty mojo, mister."

"Is that so?" he asked, leaning forward. "So if I rub on a little catnip, you'll go crazy for me like a cat does?"

She laughed, and met his gaze in a way that made both their hearts stutter. "Trust me, you don't need the catnip."

Eddie raised his sweating glass with his free hand. "To good smells, and even better company."

She clinked with him, lashes fluttering. "To even better company."

Their food came and the conversation flowed. Later, privately, neither could remember when the plates were cleared or exactly what the conversation was about. The only thing either could recall was the feeling of intense familiarity, and of shyness overcome -

"Can I walk you to your car?"

"Okay."

- and of smiles that wouldn't quit

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh, what's gonna happen? What's old wolfie up to? And what does Celina do for a living? Can anyone guess?<br>**

**Reviews make my fingers tappity-tap-tap faster!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Personally, I had you pegged as a fish eater," Eddie said as they strode lazily across the parking lot, hands still joined.

"I have a secret," Celina replied. "But you can't tell anyone. Promise?" To emphasize, she lifted a finger to her lips.

Eddie nodded, fascinated by the prospect of her confidence and by those lips. "Promise."

She inhaled. "When I go off my rocker, I binge on sushi. There, I said it."

"Are you going to the meetings?"

"What meetings?"

"The Sushi Anonymous meetings. On Wednesdays."

Celina played along and feigned a torn voice, "Hello, my name is Celina. And I..." She paused to mock-sob into her hand. "And I'm a sushi addict!"

Eddie chuckled as they approached her car. "Would you look at that, I crossed the asphalt without getting mowed over."

"How about that," she remarked as they squeezed into the narrow space between cars. Her attention was occupied with digging for her keys in her bohemian style bag, to no avail. She met his eyes apologetically as she dropped his hand to aid in her search.

"You must be my good luck charm," he continued. Internally, however, he was flailing. He'd been fine and dandy when her hand was firmly grasped in his. Now, he was left more than a little lost.

What had he planned to do, exactly? Walking her to her car was gentlemanly, but the effect of safely delivering her across a parking lot was somewhat lost in broad daylight, save for the sentiment. Trying to correct his tailspin, he fell back on the Gentleman Code.

When Celina procured the keys triumphantly, Eddie plucked them from her hand and shuffled closer to the driver's side door. Celina was privately confused for a moment, but her heart melted with 'aw, sweet' when he opened her door for her.

"Thanks," she said sincerely, throwing her bag in before she moved to climb in.

Crap. She was in the car. Unless he physically dragged her out for...what, again?...this was goodbye. "You have my number," Celina said tentatively. "Call me?"

"Tonight, if not sooner," Eddie said with an affirmative nod. Awkwardness reared its ugly head again as they simultaneously hesitated.

"I'll see you," she said decisively.

Eddie closed her door with automatic movements as she cranked the Beetle. He couldn't believe he'd blown it. He'd gotten the gumption to ask her out, and then to walk her to her car, but now he was doomed to stumble at the finish line. What was he thinking? He didn't deserve her kiss, though he wanted it more than anything before.

Did she even view this as the first date of many? Or did she simply see him as a one-time deal that would fade with gradually spacing phone calls?

He turned away, embittered by his own stupidity, to cross the parking lot again. Suddenly, the wolf rose up in his mind for the first time since he'd avoided becoming roadkill. _Claim, _it whispered to him. _Claim her as yours. You are alpha, she is female. Claim her._

Eddie's spine straightened, and a minor revelation overcame him. If he didn't show her where he stood, not to mention where he wanted 'them' to go, then he would lose her to the sucking vacuum that was apathy and indecision.

The thought made his chest ache, just a little. The wolf growled in his mind.

Celina was at the entrance to the parking lot, signal ticking. Eddie loped over, feeling rather blutbad in his sudden desire. He rapped on her window, causing her to startle. She rolled it down. "Yes?" she asked innocently.

Eddie leaned into the bottechat's car window. "Sorry," he growled, the wolf flashing his eyes red. Her own eyes sharpened and brightened, animal recognizing animal. "But I can't let you go without this - "

And he laid his lips on hers.

Time stopped in that VW. Outside the breeze blew, people talked and laughed, creatures went on their merry way. Inside, Celina and Eddie were wrapped in their own personal comet tail of glittering pheromones and endorphins.

Their lips regretted to move, so enraptured was the couple in the sheer volume of emotions, of the absurd amount of feeling that could come from the meeting of two innocuous parts of the body, both physically and otherwise.

It had to end, or they'd both supernova.

Eddie put one inch between them, opening eyes that he didn't know he'd closed. Celina noticed that they were still red, but set in a human face heavily affected by their kiss. She inhaled, her own eyes wide with surprise, fiery green and pupils fully elongated. His breath tickled her face as he said, with carefully reined emphasis, "I'll be seeing you again. Soon."

"Yeah," she said faintly. "Looking forward to it."

There was the briefest pause, no more than a second's split, where their respective inner animals shone bright enough to interact. The cat leaned up to the wolf that was half inside her car, and with the grace and purposeful sensuality that felines possess, rubbed cheeks. The wolf growled with approval.

"Goodbye, Celina Victorie."

"Goodbye, Eddie Monroe."

They parted ways physically, but their minds were consumed for the rest of the day by the memory of that kiss.

* * *

><p>Tracy and Celina were perched on Celina's bed, leaning close as girlfriends do when they're sharing state and national secrets. "So he kissed you? On the first date?" queried Tracy with hushed incredulity. "Way to go, Miss Conservative!"<p>

"Can it, lady," replied Celina wryly, reddening despite herself. "It was a first date. We've known each other for all of two days."

"So? Chemistry knows no time."

"Chemistry fizzles out, too," commented the bottechat, picking at the coverlet.

"Don't be so glass-half-empty," chided her best friend.

"I can't help it," said Celina exasperatedly.

"Can't help what?" asked Henry from the doorway, causing the two girls to jump.

"Nothing," replied his sister hurriedly, in a way that suggested she would never tell.

"Just so you know," said her brother casually. "He's on my hit list, this Eddie person. If that is his real name," he mumbled half to himself. "Where did you say he lived again?"

The cat woman's eyes narrowed playfully, but the effect was lost on her kin. "We're not there yet, but even if I knew, I'd never tell you."

"Ah, well," sighed Henry ruefully. "The nice way was worth a shot." He raised his voice as he ambled down the hall. "Hey, Rene, I'ma need a bucket of water, a car battery, and a Justin Beiber CD!"

"What makes you think I'd have anything of JB's?" came the indignant reply from the living room.

The girls snickered. "He said he was gonna call you tonight, right?"

Celina nodded, hope coloring her face. "He promised."

Tracy tilted her head. "Then we'll see if he's a man of his word."

"You make it sound so...serious."

"It is! There are, like, _scruples _he has to have, or he's not worth it."

"He did open my car door for me."

"Fine. One point," grudged Tracy.

"Hey, don't worry so hard," chastised Celina, patting her friend's knee. "I'm keeping the verdict out. For now."

Tracy sighed. "I suppose that's all I can ask for."

Celina looked at her friend gratefully. "You're the best. If only Henry was as low-key about me dating someone."

"He just wants your heart to stay whole," said Tracy reassuringly.

Celina cradled her head. "He's worse than Dad."

"He learned it from Mr. Victorie," corrected Tracy. "By the way, have they called yet this week?"

"No, thank God," said Celina. "Every time they do, it's like 'When are you going to get a real job?'" She eyed her friend heavily. "At least your folks are musicians, too. They understand."

Tracy shrugged. "As much as any parent can understand their daughter."

Celina winced, knowing the subject was sore. Tracy's parents did not approve of her living with two boys under the same roof, no matter how platonically. "My night to make dinner. Want to drink tea and keep me company?"

The skinny skirt wearer cocked her head, listening to the TV in the living room. "Sounds like there's a game on tonight." They slid off the bed and padded down the hall.

Celina rolled her eyes. "How will you manage without?"

"I'll find a way, trust me," said Tracy dryly. "Maybe I can sneak a little meat into that dinner while I'm at it."

"No way, _Jose._"

"You have to look away sometime!" insisted Tracy.

"Pfft. Try to fool _my_ nose, I dare you."

And so it went while Celina diced potatoes, onion, peppers, and tomatoes. While the potatoes baked, she started the waffle iron and mixed up the Bisquick.

"Smells like breakfast for dinner," said Rene appreciatively, rolling into the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge. "Let me guess: Celina's Southwestern Hashbrowns?"

Celina saluted him with her spatula. "Good nose. You want chocolate chips in your waffles?"

"You know me too well," sighed the guitarist.

"Me too!" came Henry's shout from the living room.

"Me, three," said Tracy from the kitchen table, sipping her tea.

"How'd the date go?" asked Rene, his soda can spitting.

"Really well, actually," Celina said with as much casual innocence as she could muster

Rene was fooled for all of two seconds. He squinted at the redhead. "Holy crap, you kissed him!" he stage whispered, rolling closer.

Celina blushed furiously, and Tracy went to bat for her. "He kissed her, actually," corrected the percussionist.

"Still, wow," said Rene with surprise. "Kinda quick, don't you think?"

"Why does everyone say that?" Celina begged of the ceiling. "I know, I know, but it just sort of happened."

"Hey, this is a judgement-free zone," said Rene, holding up his hands. "I don't mean to make it sound like I'm not happy for you. I really am. As long as he's good to you..."

Celina squeezed her friend's arm gratefully. "He is. So far, I get the feeling he's a really good guy. He's gonna call me tonight."

Rene considered his soda can. "I think I'll ask Henry to take this studly dog for a walk. Or a roll."

"You'd do that?"

"Sure. What are friends for?"

Celina leaned down to hug him. "That's fantastic!"

"TOUCHDOWN!" screamed Henry from the living room.

"Gotta go," said Rene briskly. "Just remember: you have to tell Henry something, or he'll start to assume all kinds of stuff."

"I know," said Celina with a reluctant nod. "I'll update him soon."


	6. Chapter 6

**kathleensmiles, you are simply too kind. As for the monolith, marble will do. :)**

**Huggles to all who have read so far! Thank you for the luv!  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The house was quiet. Rene had wrangled Henry into an after-dinner roll just down the street to the park, and Tracy was knitting on the porch. Twilight reached restful and magic fingers into the windows of the house, painting the worn floors and clean walls with shadows that slowly moved through the muted color spectrum. Celina was snuggled under a blanket in her favorite chair in the living room, next to the phone, tea mug in hand to try to calm her nervous energy.<p>

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the house, a clock ticked. It reminded Eddie that he had to fix that expensive Rolex tomorrow, and get it in the mail. This retreat of his mind into something that didn't cause him so much anxiety was hollow.<p>

The number was sitting next to his phone, taunting him, beckoning him with things frightening to consider and even more frightening to ignore.

Steeling his resolve, he picked up the handpiece and dialed, before he lost his nerve.

_"Hola, estas Juanita."_

Eddie hung up quickly, checked the digits, and shook his head at his own clumsiness.

* * *

><p>What if he didn't call? What if her friends' tacit warnings were realized? What if, having let Eddie put a foot in the door of her heart, he trashed her and left her reeling? Celina groaned and sipped her tea in a self-comforting way, watching the shadows creep up the wall. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was uncertainty. She considered herself a confident individual, and Eddie seemed confident, too. As long as they were honest to each other, things could only get better and better.<p>

Right...?

The phone rang, and Celina forcibly held herself back for two rings as per Tracy's advice. "Hello?" she sounded so childish, it made her wince.

"Hey," came the equally vulnerable (but better-disguised) voice from the other end. "It's Eddie."

Celina giggled, more relieved than she cared to admit that he'd kept his promise. "I figured. How was the rest of your day?"

"Good," replied the blutbad, his fingers tightening on the phone. "Yours?"

"Also good."

A pause. "Hey, Celina?" he asked, as though expecting her to say no before the question was voiced.

"Yeah?" she said, trying to project casual calmness and indifferent curiosity, even though her heart leaped.

"I'm working tomorrow, but I'm free the day after. Do you want to go someplace for lunch again?"

"Eddie, that sounds like a fabulous idea," she said warmly, eyes soft as though he were there to see.

"Can it be a surprise?" he ventured.

Celina's brows raised. "Okay. Jeans good?"

"Yeah, jeans are good."

"You know,"she confided softly. "You surprise me."

He paused, and she could hear his nervous smile. "Really? You fascinate me."

"Because I'm a bottechat?"

"Because you're..." he grasped at a word that would fit, and settled on, "...you."

She heard him shift, and she pictured him in his dark house, on the couch, with the phone cradled against his shoulder. "So, what's the name of your band?" he asked, clearing his throat and changing the subject.

"Galatia," she replied, taking up the banner. "Inspired by our shared history class in freshmen year. We're predominantly Celtic, but we do other stuff, too."

Eddie chuckled. "It fits. Do you play any instruments?"

"Alas, no," she sighed. "Put anything but a tambourine in my hand and I'm hopeless. Even then, barely adequate. But I can sing, and Henry, Rene and Tracy do, too, but they like to play better. So it works." She picked up her mug, noting how dark the room was now that the sun had set. Even though they were apart, she secretly felt like he was there, sitting next to her.

"I wish I could play," she continued ruefully. "I can look at their fingers move, and the notes glide over me, and I think, 'man, I'm jealous'. I'm a witness to it, but I can't belong to the music like they can."

Eddie smiled at the wistfulness in her voice. "I wish I could do what you do."

"Like what?"

"Interact with people, like a band does on stage. I'm not the friendliest person on the planet."

"Really? You seem pretty friendly to me."

He laughed in a self-deprecating way. "This coming from the girl I kissed."

"Are you suggesting I'm biased?" she teased.

"Not at all, kitty cat. Not at all." Another pause. "I liked kissing you," he said, like he was telling his deepest secret.

Celina's fingers tightened on the handpiece. "I liked it, too."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "So I wasn't out of line?"

"No," she laughed. "No, not at all. Just shocked me a bit, that's all."

Eddie chuckled. "You're telling me. And what was with the old wolf and cat peeking through?"

"I don't know," said Celina, with a little worry. "That's pretty odd, for me. What about the wolf?"

"Out of character, but it's not like I'm falling off the veggie wolf wagon."

"How did that come about?" She asked. "Going veggie wolf, I mean."

Eddie shifted again, gathering his thoughts. "I saw my family, and my friends, and how out of control they were. I was a slave, same as them, to my beast nature." His tone changed to reflect the strength of his conviction. "I wanted to be different. So I changed."

"Was it hard for you?"

"In some ways, yeah. Learning to keep it under wraps when I was angry, for one. But I do Pilates and stuff and it keeps me cool."

She giggled. "I can't imagine you doing Pilates. I just can't." Her voice turned slightly seductive. "Do you wear those sweet Spandex exercise clothes?"

"No, definitely not." His laughter bounced down the line. "Do you have a hard time, with the cat?"

Her smile faded slightly, and he heard it. "Some. No more than you, I'm sure. I've got my ways of keeping my nose clean. Tea, for one." The urge overcame her to sip said tea.

"What's in the cup tonight?"

_He can hear that? _she marveled. "Green pekoe. Yummy."

"Meh, I'll take your word for it. What else helps you?"

"Believe it or not," she said, feigning airiness. "Not eating meat."

His disbelief was evident. "No meat at all?"

"Nope. Almost eight years now," she replied, with a hint of pride.

"Man," he whistled. "Couldn't do it. Meat-atarian, through and though. Wait, I thought you said you eat sushi?"

"That's when I give in to the cat," she replied, blushing at the memory of how she'd given in to the cat and rubbed their cheeks after the kiss. "A true rarity. Soothes the savage beast, you know?"

"Gives it something to placate it," he said with understanding. "Gives it something to focus on, and keep it from getting too crazy."

"Like a toy to a toddler."

"Amen."

They chuckled together.

"How do your roommates deal with a half-feline friend?" asked Eddie.

He could imagine Celina's shrug. "As well as can be expected of humans. They know my quirks, and love me the same."

"Must be nice," Eddie said wryly.

She made a comforting noise, hearing his tone.

"Do they, you know, see you? When you get catty?"

Celina laughed in a way that suggested she had done something she knew would get her in trouble. "Funny you should ask," she said cheerily. "Yeah, they can."

"How?" he asked incredulously. "Only Grimms and other unnaturals can see us!"

"I'm a folklore major, remember?" she said. "I found this...recipe, if you will. You know how, back in the old days, people thought that eating thyme and hanging around fairy circles would let them see the wee folk?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I found something that was our equivalent. I asked my friends to try it, and _viola_. Granted, it's not as good as Grimm sight, but they have warning if I'm about to go claws-out or whatever."

"And this recipe wears off?"

"Yeah, like any herb."

Eddie whistled lowly. "That's some deep stuff, Celina. Couldn't you get in trouble with the other folks like us?"

"Well, yeah, of course. But my peeps are careful, and nobody's caught on. I think all eyes are on the Grimms to have that gift, not Joe Blow."

"Good point," he conceded. "So, confession time. While we're sharing, and all."

"I'm all ears."

Eddie opened his mouth to speak, but the word would not leave. What if, by telling her that he occasionally helped a Grimm, she abruptly and harshly put this conversation (not to mention this infant relationship) to an end? It was like politics and religion: not first phone call fodder.

"Be brave," she urged gently. "I won't bite, unless you ask me really nice."

He managed a faint smile at her purred attempt to lighten the situation, but nothing more. "Maybe...next time. It's pretty deep stuff." The wolf growled, _Coward._ He had to agree.

To her credit, she rolled with the punch. "That's okay. We can't tell it all at once, anyway."

The screen door banged in the kitchen. "Just a second, Eddie."

Tracy tried to Pink Panther her way past Celina. "Sorry," she mouthed, the scarf she was working on dragging behind her. "How's it going?"

"It's okay," mouthed Celina back to the former, giving a thumbs up to the latter.

Tracy did a gleeful happy dance on the spot before scurrying down the hall.

Eddie felt like he'd erected a wall between them with his failure to launch, and was eager to tear it down. "How'd you learn about Grimms? Isn't that, you know, passed down?" He could kick himself, really, he could.

"Usually, yeah," Celina said lightly, sparing him embarrassment.

"They really covered their bases with that college degree."

"Tell me about it. But that only inspired my research spreeing. Grimms are all over the world, in various forms, if you just know how to look at the evidence."

Suddenly, there came a sound of Henry and Rene's good-natured bickering and gravel crunching from the driveway.

Celina gasped, "I have to go. Trouble's home."

"Your brother?" guessed Eddie.

"Yeah. Do you want to pick me up in two days, in keeping with the surprise?"

"Sure. What's your address?"

She rattled it off to his scribbling fingers, then said apologetically, "I have to go. My peeps won't let me have peaceful phone calls."

"It's okay," he assured. "I'll see you in two days, at noon."

"Bye, Eddie," she said, affection coloring her voice.

"Bye, Celina," he replied, unwilling to let her go.

"Bye," she murmured once more, and forced her thumb to depress the button.

Henry and Rene rolled up the ramp and burst into the living room. "Was that him?" asked Henry nonchalantly, toeing off his shoes and gesturing at the phone in Celina's hand.

"Yeah," said his sister, biting her lip and glancing at him. "Is that a problem?"

Henry sighed, shrugged. "As much as my little sis dating anybody is bound to be. Just," he rubbed his face. "Gimme some time. And let me meet him, eventually."

Celina's heart flooded with relief and love for her brother. She got up and hugged him, reveling in his exercise-driven warmth and comforting, familiar scent. "Thanks, Henry."

"And what about 'thanks, Rene'?" wheedled the guitarist. "I did get him out of the house for you!"

"You couldn't keep a secret if you tried!" cried Celina, kicking his convenient wheel, incensed but forgivingly so. Henry came to his friend's aid and started to tickle Celina's ribs, causing her to howl for backup.

Tracy reappeared to join the fun, and threw her toothpick-esque frame onto Henry's back. He treated her like she wasn't there, until she covered his eyes, cackling.

No quarter was given, but eventually, the quartet retired for the night. Celina's heart was too full for her to sleep immediately, so she smiled into the darkness of her room and racked her brain for possibilities. _What is this surprise Eddie's talking about?_ she mused. _And what is it he's so reluctant to tell me?_

* * *

><p>Eddie stared at the phone in his hand, a grin slowly spreading on his face. He felt foolish with happiness. As he prepared for sleep, he couldn't stop smiling.<p>

That night, he dreamed of an orange tabby cat laying next to him in bed, purring, tail tip twitching in drowsy comfort at his soothing warmth. It burrowed its heavy eyes into his side, and accepted his hand stroking its soft fur.

When he woke up the next morning to find the weight that had lain against him all night was a pillow, he was sorely disappointed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, fixed the times discrepancies in Ch. 6. Eddie and Celina are apart for a full day after the kebab/kissing date, and then go to lunch again the next day. Eddie initiated this date, and is keeping where a secret. How romantic!**

**What is your idea of a romantic date? Ideas, people! I pay you in Wacky Bucks for something! (Actually, I don't pay you at all, except in internet cookies and virtual huggles.)**

**Oh, and I'm inviting everyone to eat the mochachino cake carved in my likeness by kathleensmiles. Yummmm! No, I'm not vain at all... but all this love goes straight to my hips! I mean, head! The cake goes to my hips. *sigh***

* * *

><p>Eddie woke up with a fiery curiosity.<p>

That small tabby cat he had dreamed about last night had felt...natural, laying against him in peaceful slumber, and now the blutbad was sad to be without it. Eddie wondered, pretentiously so if the dawn sun streaming into the kitchen was any indication, how much Celina's bottechat transformation changed her appearance when she gave it full rein. He'd only seen her partway through her transformation, but he'd heard stories of other bottechats that had multiple forms of their animal. After all, the cat from his nightlong dream had shared her coloration. _But, _warned his cautious side. _It could simply be your subconscious linking Celina with a real cat. Wishful thinking, perhaps?  
><em>

Eddie shook off the thought in an effort to give his mind room to consider. Celina still had some growing to do, supernaturally speaking. Could she transform to that degree, or was it only an adult bottechat thing? But then, she had had academic schooling in the ways of her beast, as well as all those creatures in legend. Unconsciously, Eddie laid a hand on his stomach, and thought he could still feel the weight of the small cat, warm and alive. He'd have to ask her when he saw her tomorrow. "Countin' down," he cheered, sipping his espresso.

But the dream made him feel like smiling wryly, for it pained him to have the fantasy as much as it hurt to have it stolen by wakefulness. He _wanted _her next to him, peaceful and drowsy. And the closest thing he had to that was being eaten away by consciousness, blurring as dreams were wont to do.

He went through his Pilates routine, and felt his mind focus, intent on the movement and repetition and eeking the _last bit _of stretch out of his tendons and muscles. Glorious, wonderful, manageable pain.

When he surfaced from the mat and machines, he felt renewed. Strange, the wolf was calm this morning. Eddie pictured it curled in the corner of his mind, tail guarding its nose, asleep, twitching occasionally as it dreamed.

Odd. Very odd, indeed. Did it have to do with the cat dream? Did the wolf feel at ease, unlike its norm, because the dream cat in Eddie's subconscious had nestled with its mental canine counterpart? Somehow, that made sense to Eddie. And he certainly wasn't going to argue with the mental quiet.

He had gotten a call a week ago about a grandfather clock that stuck on 12:46 and whose pendulum was refusing to swing to the left. Good news, Eddie could fix it. That particular make and model was prone to needing more grease than the factory gave it. Bad news, it was too big to move. The doctor would have to make a house call.

When his VW rolled up the grass-eaten concrete drive of the stately two-story colonial, Eddie grabbed his tool bag out of the passenger seat. He was overtaken for a moment with excitement: tomorrow, around this time, Celina would be sitting in the seat beside him.

He needed to detail the car.

Eddie rang the doorbell, hearing it chime within the house, and it was opened by an elderly man. "You the clock guy? Come on in, son."

Eddie set to work on the tall, gleaming oak grandfather clock, taking the internal parts out, cleaning, re-oiling, putting them back in. Although he wasn't used to polite conversation, the elderly man and his wife were quite congenial, if hovering, and they asked lots of questions about Eddie: Eddie's schooling, Eddie's family, Eddie's personal life. Although he had to deflect the former two, the latter he was happy to dwell on. He told them all about Celina, and only realized he was gushing when he looked up and saw them grinning at him.

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly.

"Don't be," said the wife. "She sounds like a lovely girl."

"Much like you, sweetums," said the husband, pecking his wife on the cheek, who giggled.

Eddie's gaze softened as he viewed the older couple's affection. "How long have you two been married?"

"Sixty-four years, three months," declared the man proudly.

Eddie's eyes must have widened comically, because the couple started to laugh.

"It's not that long," cajoled the wife, taking her husband's hand. "Feels like an instant. A lifetime of love."

Eddie smiled, but his brow furrowed even as he turned to put the cover back on the gearbox. _Will I ever find someone like that? _he wondered. _Someone to share my life with? _"That oughta do it," he said, standing. He reached into the clock, tapped the pendulum, and watched it start to swing. After a moment, it was back to its normal frequency.

"Great job," said the husband. "That clock is as old as us."

"No problem," said Eddie, winding the clock up using its chains.

The couple invited Eddie to stay for tea, which he did under only mild duress, wrote him a check, and waved him out of the driveway.

Eddie drove back to town, his favorite concerto wrapping him in its caress, and deposited the check. _Still no wolf, _he marveled. _But I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. _Whistling, he went to the grocery store, dropped off some mail, and cooked himself a nice dinner.

Nick dropped by. Eddie, in a good mood, invited him to stay for dinner. As the Grimm prattled on about some case he was working on, it struck Eddie that their relationship was mostly related to Wesen gone wild.

"What's my favorite color?" he asked primly, opening his napkin.

Nick floundered. "What?" he asked incredulously.

"You know, you never ask me anything else," said Eddie, tactfully pointing out the gaps in their relationship. "Like sports or music or who the hottest Bond babe was, you know, like _normal_ conversation." _Because I'm not _just _a blutbad-slash-Wesen-dictionary, you know. _"Just sayin'," said the wolfman, not unkindly. "It'd be nice to switch it up once in a while, you know?"

Nick was game: it'd been bothering him, too, now that he'd put his finger on it. "Okay, so what's you favorite color?" he asked conversationally.

"You don't mean that."

"No, really, I wanna know."

Eddie hesitated. He thought about Celina's red hair, the color of blood covering rubies held to the bright moon's gaze. For the first time all day, the wolf stirred and stretched back its lips to gruesomely smile. "Red," said Eddie, with the slightest edge of darkness.

Nick lightened the moment with a companionably sarcastic, "I feel so much closer to you now."

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, almost a direct quote from the Episode: "Organ Grinder". But I am not ashamed! This is what I thought of when I watched that episode. The dynamic of those two is squee-worthy. :)<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Celina took a little less time getting ready for her date: after all, half of her outfit was spoken for, and the other half Tracy chose. In fact, Celina's best friend dragged her into her room, kicking pieces of her new (re: thrift store) drum kit out of the path of her closet, which burst with color like a mermaid's trunk. Shoving aside long skirts, shimmery tops, and ruffly things, Tracy found what she was searching for with a victorious cry.

"I don't know," said Celina dubiously. "It's a little...much. Or rather, a little too little, you know."

Frowning, Tracy replaced the blouse and withdrew another one. "This one," she said sagely. "Will have him eating out of your hand."

"I don't know if I want him eating out of my hand," said Celina, holding the blouse Tracy offered like it was poisonous.

"Ditto," grumbled Henry, walking past their door with his violin in hand. "You're gonna miss practice, you know."

Celina winced guiltily. "I know. I'm sorry."

Henry grunted ominously, face red with displeasure, and continued on his way.

Tracy put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't let him get you down," she said kindly. "He's just nervous about that gig at the Fourleaf this weekend." The Fourleaf was an Irish pub in downtown Portland, and one of Galatia's best-paying recurring shows.

"But he's right," sighed Celina. "I can't start putting Eddie before my responsibilities. We built this house, and this band, on being true to each other."

"Don't make a mountain out of a molehill," consoled Tracy. "Who's to say you won't practice when you get back? I'll do it with you: I need work gettin' that riff right on 'The Well Below the Valley'."

Celina smiled at her friend gratefully and said teasingly, "I suppose you have ideas as to what makeup I should wear, too?"

"Of course," replied the skinny percussionist airily, steering her to the bathroom. "You're like my personal Barbie. And you saw the photos of my eighth birthday, you _know _what I put those things through in my younger days."

"What has been seen," intoned Celina dreadfully. "Cannot be unseen..."

* * *

><p>Eddie was feeling like he'd shotgunned a case of Red Bull and chased it with espresso. His palms were sweating, his heart was racing, and the leg that wasn't occupied with driving could not stop bouncing. Sure, he was dead excited about this date, which he'd spent the better part of the morning arranging, but what this date signified was pretty steep.<p>

"Chill out, man," he chided himself. "This is a totally natural continuation." Eddie's gut was telling him he needed to define his and Celina's relationship better than with just a kiss. He had demonstrated he wanted her: now it was up to him to show her _how long_ he wanted her. He wasn't content with going out for a season and then parting ways. Not by a long shot.

_So really, _he thought optimistically. _By having my mind made up, half the battle is won._

_Claim, _whispered his wolf in agreement.

As he rolled up to a stop sign, he felt the wolf start to surface strongly. "Oh, no, you are not starting now," he muttered into the rearview mirror, where his eyes were blazing red. He willed the color away, but the beast was right: he needed Celina. He only hoped she would feel the same, or at least, would be brave enough to tell him otherwise.

Could his heart take it if she said no to going long-term? _Like every other man in the world, _he reasoned critically. _I'll have to get over it. _Eddie sighed, scrubbed his face wearily, and looked around to see if it was clear to turn. _Wait, is that...?_

Celina stood on the dirt corner of the street, looking like a wayward bohemian child waiting for the bus, and waved at him when he looked her way. Eddie scooted past the stop sign and leaned over to open the door for her. "Why are you - ?"

"Two words," she said tightly, climbing into the passenger seat and belting in. "Stupid brother."

Eddie winced as he pulled away from the curb. "Am I...getting between you and Henry?"

Celina shook her head. "No. He's just being a jerk about it, that's all. Guilting me." She forcibly uncrossed her arms, untensed her shoulders, and relaxed her expression. "Don't worry. It's not a problem."

Even though the initial pretense was uncomfortable, Eddie felt better now that she was there. He nodded, feeling his own tension leaving. "That's good. I don't want to cause trouble." _But I will eat Henry if I have to, _growled the wolf from its corner with quiet menace.

"I would've picked you up," he said.

"I know. But it's a minefield over there today, what with the Fourleaf gig in a few days." She brightened a bit at mention of the performance. "You should totally come see us play."

"Wouldn't miss it," he assured.

"How was work yesterday?" she asked, orchestrating a change of subject.

"Good," he replied. "Engrossing. Grandfather clocks from that era rank high on my list."

Celina giggled. "How many guys have a list of their favorite clocks? How many?"

"Yeah, yeah, you've got a real special guy," he said sarcastically, but reveling in her praise.

She poked him in the arm affectionately. "Dang skippy."

The road wrapped around the hills, and the VW wrapped around the road. In the intoxicating sunshine, the asphalt glittered like the stairway to heaven, the flecks of quartz within it sparkling and the painted lines catching the angle of the light in order to blaze like fire. They threaded the shadows of the tall conifers like dolphins through the ocean.

Blissful, open road. A sweet-smelling and wonderful woman beside him. The blutbad found himself lulled, content, wishing he could capture this moment. Eddie settled on capturing her fingers and lifting them to his lips in lieu of kissing her fully. If only the car could drive itself, he'd be encoring their parking lot performance.

In turn, she twisted their hands and brought his to her cheek, giving a slight purring sound that, figuratively and literally, made his ears prick. _Receptive female, _his wolf practically groaned.

"Need your hand back?"

"Nope, it's happy where it is," he replied, slightly hoarse.

"Excellent," she cheered, threading their fingers on her leg. "I've been meaning to ask you: does clockwork make for a decent living?"

"Yeah, actually. You wouldn't think so, but if you take into account I'm the only one in a 300-mile radius who does this sort of thing, I get a lot of business."

"The level of detail it requires would probably baffle me. I'm a broad strokes kinda girl."

"You know, I still don't know what you do for a living," griped Eddie petulantly.

"Maybe I just like watching you squirm," Celina opined loftily, looking at him sideways.

He eyed her, cocking one brow. "Someone's feisty today."

"Hmm, try every day. You just figured it out today."

He snickered. "Come on, gimme one more hint?"

"Alright, one more hint," she said longsufferingly. "It has something to do with outerwear."

"Seamstress?" he guessed. "Model? Model!"

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "And hardly, but you get brownie points for it. I like to eat. A lot."

He furrowed his brow contemplatively. "Maybe a fashion designer?"

"Getting warm," she sing-songed.

"Maybe..."

"Simmer on it," she said, smirking.

"You are evil."

Her fingers tightened on his. "Not really. My halo's just crooked."

"Oh, and before I forget..." He reached between the seats and pulled out a strip of cloth, draping it over her lap.

"This looks suspiciously like a necktie," she said.

"Could you put it over your eyes? Otherwise, you'll be able to guess."

She grinned at him cheekily. "You're a kinky fella, aren'tcha?"

He grinned back wolfishly. "You know it."

This sent her into a fit of laughter and furious blushing.

"Seriously, now's a good time to put it on."

"You mean the necktie?"

"Yes, the necktie, you dork."

She grinned at getting a rise out of him and tied the blindfold over her eyes. "It's hardly needed: I have no earthly clue where we are."

"That's good."

"Is this the part where you drag me to your secret cabin the woods, nick my hamstrings, and give me a ten-minute headstart before hunting me down?"

The look he shot her was lost, but she must have sensed it, for she grinned cheekily. "Well, since you went to the trouble of constructing such a detailed model..."

"Oh, you! So where's this mystery date? Pretty please?"

"Ah," he said conspiratorially. "That's for me to know, and you to find out."

* * *

><p><strong>Just so you know, 'The Well Below the Valley' is a great song. Search it in youtube, and put Magdalene Sisters on the end, so you get the right one. :)<br>**

**Picture time! Just take out the spaces and put in the appropriate symbols for the words. This is what I envision Celina's hair turning out to be like, when she goes bottechat. Note the cat on the right: the dark orange is Celina's original color, the lighter orange is what the bottechat throws in. **

http:SLASH SLASH chestofbooks DOT com/animals/cats/Book/images/Brown-Tabby-And-Orange-Tabby-Short-Haired-Cats DOT jpg

**Also, this is a good pic of what Celina's eyes look like. But green. **

http: SLASH SLASH flickrfanstan DOT files DOT ?w=500&h=334


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the long-ass delay, folks. I have one instructor for three classes, and I swear, it's her life goal to draw/quarter me with homework. *kowtow* Please accept this chapter with my apologies. **

**Also, I know Eddie is vegetarian in the show. He may not be yet in my story, but I can write it in. *does so* And, if anyone wants to give me the correct spelling on 'wessen' or whatever the heck the pronunciation is, I would shower them with internet cookies.**

* * *

><p>Eddie interrupted the Bach concerto by signalling and slowing. "Getting close." The sign straddling the dirt and gravel road he turned onto said 'Oregon State Park' in rough-hewn wood.<p>

"Is that so?" Celina asked, sounding odd.

It was only then Eddie realized how uncomfortable Celina smelled. Her anxiety coated her like a cloud, and her hands where wrapping and unwrapping in the strap of her backpack purse nervously. Only five minutes of riding in a car with her eyes covered made her like this?

"Are you okay, Celina?" asked the blutbad, mentally facepalming himself. He should have asked if she was comfortable with the blindfold, not assumed. In the face of his excitement and pride over his own creativity, he'd messed up. But she'd joked and hidden it so well! "You can take the blindfold off, if you want."

"I'm alright," she said, somewhat forced but sincere nonetheless. "I can take it."

"Are you sure?" he pressed dubiously.

"Yeah, sweetie, I'll be fine."

He smiled goofily at the way the sentiment rolled off her tongue, and decided to take her at her word. She was a grown woman: she knew her limits. "You don't like having your sight hidden?"

"It's a cat thing," she said apologetically. "And a me thing." She 'looked' his way, fingering her seatbelt. "Not that I don't trust you, it's just...kitty is pacing my skull like a caged tiger. She'll cool off when I do."

"I get it. I didn't even think about that," Eddie said.

"Like you didn't think I would look like an office-Rambo-slash-kidnap-victim?"

"Yeah, like that," he chuckled. Whipping into a parking lot at the head of a trail crowned by a picnic shelter, he twisted the key into his palm and undid both their seatbelts. He reached over, slid a finger under the band at her temple, and lifted it from her face. "We're here."

Celina's pupils were catlike with their inherent discomfort, and she fixed them on him first, not her surroundings. With the rest of her face exposed, Eddie noticed how sharp her cheek bones were when the bottechat was rising, how pointy her chin became and how her whiskers bristled when she opened her mouth to exhale with relief.

Seeing the nature of her creature enthralled his human side, making his heart stutter in his chest. The wolf raised up its head as though looking over Eddie's shoulder with fierce eyes, scenting, sensing. Eddie felt his eyes glow red for a moment and his jaw prickle with sprouting fur. Animal recognizing animal, the same as the restaurant parking lot two days ago. _Why does her cat bring out my wolf? _he asked himself as he watched her blink away the beast. _We're both more prone to lapses around each other. _

"Don't be afraid around me," he told her insistently, the wolf tinting his voice with gravel. "I would never hurt you, or let you be hurt."

Celina took his hand and nuzzled it happily. "Okay," she whispered. She believed him. She could see it in his eyes, under the crimson there, that both his beast and his human wanted to protect her.

What scared her secretly, deep down, was that the protective instinct pf wolves was usually extended to mates. She and Eddie were getting deeper involved, whether their human sides realized it or not. Celina tucked that bit away for a time when she could examine it without as much trepidation.

Eddie smiled, and she returned it glowingly. He gestured for her to stay, got out of the car, and walked around to open her door. This made her blush, but she accepted his hand gracefully and accompanied him to the trunk. "Where are we?" she asked, curiosity written on her face as she took in the tall trees and trail head.

"The state park," Eddie replied casually, enjoying prolonging her torment.

"And what are we up to today?" Bouncing on her booted heels, she radiated energy like a coiled spring.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Eddie said. He gloried for a moment in having found someone as interested in the outdoors as him. "You know, most women would worry about snakes or bugs or getting sweaty or something."

She cocked a brow at him unabashedly. "I'm not most women. Now quit dodging! What are we gonna do?"

He laughed at her. "You were crazy as a kid at Christmas, weren't you?"

"Mom and Dad had to hide the presents, or they tended to unwrap themselves. Wait a minute...Gah! Seriously? Tell me!"

"Let's see if you can figure it out when you see the equipment."

The trunk sprang open, and she rifled through the bag within it eagerly. "A GPS," she mused. "A notebook with some numbers in it...a picnic basket, I can guess, but two pens and some bottle caps?"

"Any ideas?" he teased.

She pinned him with an exasperated expression, loving the way his brown eyes sparked with humor. "_Now _who's the evil one?"

Eddie laughed. "We're going on a picnic and a geocache hunt."

Celina's face broke into a broad grin. "I've always wanted to try that!"

"Me too," he said, hefting bag and basket. "But first, lunch. Can't subsist on granola bars alone."

"True that." They took a table under the empty shelter and worked together to set up the meal. "Are the caches big enough to see easily?" asked Celina, pouring out lemonade from a thermos.

"Two of them are macros," replied Eddie, slicing ciabatta bread. "One is a micro, a 35mm film case according to reviews."

"You've done your research," she said approvingly. "And you made a vegetarian picnic, how sweet. Aren't you going to eat some protein, wolf man?"

"I've been thinking long and hard," said Eddie, pulling out container of grapes. "What you said the other night on the phone about cutting out meat made sense. Granted, it won't be easy, but I think the good will outweigh the nasty."

"Are you trying to suck up to me?" she asked with narrowed eyes and a smile. "Adopt the lady's habits to get on her good side?"

"Who, me?" he queried innocently with a devilish smirk. "Never. But it makes sense for me the reformed blutbad as much as it does the human boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Celina cried indignantly, hands on her hips.

_Crap! _That had completely slipped out. Eddie wished he could stuff the words back into his mouth, but there they were, buzzing like a swarm of wasps intent on stinging him to death.

"Your face is priceless," she said sneakily, grin growing to life. "Hilarious, actually."

Eddie's mouth dropped open. "You little - !" He dashed around the table, but she squealed and dodged him.

"I didn't mean it!" she laughed, putting another table between them.

Eddie was fast, if he tried. Celina was slightly faster, being smaller. Every time he committed to going a certain way, she would be gone by the time he reached for her.

"So close!" she goaded, shaking her hips slightly at him.

"You're sooo gonna get it now!" he responded, baring his teeth at her.

She shrieked with delight and scampered, but was soon caught in a corner of the shelter cordoned with bulletin boards. There was only a table between them, and Eddie approached with a wolfish smile.

"Heeeer kitty, kitty, kitty..." he cooed darkly, fixing her with his best scary-eyes.

Celina rubbed her arms, still backing away as he came around the table. "Ooh, you're giving me shivers! Quit!"

"Not until I get my compensation for emotional turmoil."

"What might that be?" she asked with a teasing toss of her hair.

He did not answer, only stalked closer. Closer. _Closer. _

Celina determined not to run away, partially because she was out of breath, and partially because she knew she did not have to. She stared him in the eyes, which were still that deep intoxicating brown, and watched him as he came right up to her.

Eddie was surprised: one, that he still hadn't wolfed out, and two, that she'd called his bluff.

The wolf wasn't howling for blood. In fact, it had some fairly harmless suggestions. _What the heck, _Eddie thought.

_Touch her, _the wolf said. Eddie slowly drew his thumb to bear on her cheekbone, resting his fingers in her hair.

Celina's eyes fixed on his unswervingly. They fluttered slightly when his thumb ran over her lips.

"Brave little thing," he marveled quietly, more to himself than her.

Something snapped in her eyes. She bucked his hand with a twitch of her chin, stepped into the circle of his arms, and yanked his head down to crash their lips together.

_Whoa, _Eddie thought. _Didn't see that coming. But dang, she's a good kisser. _

Just as Eddie was finding his balance, she pulled back from the near-attack of his mouth and dimpled one cheek. "Oh, sure, let's chase the cat around and see what happens," she said sarcastically. "What were you going to do if you caught me, hm?"

Eddie's brain was still trying to catch up. "Huh?"

She snickered. "Bright idea, wolfie. And now the squirrels are stealing lunch."

"Huh?" Eddie repeated.

Celina nodded over his shoulder, eyes crinkled with mirth.

Eddie whipped around to see a squirrel not ten feet away, gnawing insistently on the plastic container that held the mixed nuts. "Are you kidding me?" the blutbad exclaimed. "Shoo! Get off!"

The squirrel twitched to attention, eyed him for a moment, and sprang onto the wooden support beam and scrambled into the rafters.

"They sure are friendly out here," commented Celina.

"I should rant about the consequences of deforestation and human interference," said Eddie with disgust.

"But the squirrel will have stocked his pantry by the time you finish," reminded Celina. With a sway of her hips like she knew he was watching, she walked back to their table. "By the way," she said over her shoulder. "Boyfriend is a very appropriate term."

Eddie brightened almost comically, but tried to contain it with a sigh as he sidled up to sit across from her. "So much for an adventurous date."

"It's hardly over!" she said, sitting down and taking out the GPS. "So, where's our first coordinates?"

"If you read, I'll punch in the numbers."

"Deal."

They ate the cold but yummy food with their fingers and speculated about potential hiding spots for caches.

Internally, Eddie played whack-a-mole with his wolf, which was unhelpfully suggesting _exactly_ what he would have done if he'd caught her.

* * *

><p><strong>I've seen squirrels do that, no lie. And Eddie was only being playful chasing Celina, not doing that whole 'when I catch you, I'm gonna hump you' thing he did with Angelina in 'Three Bad Wolves'. That will come much later. :P<strong>

**Happy Midterms to all! *dodges rotten produce and boos***


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